Vestibule for cars



(No Model.)

J. P. McE-LRO Y.

VESTIBULE FOR CARS- Y 474,96'6- Patented May 17, 1892,

H 2- 3. r-J H A 6/ p "10- e W M ATTO NEY. 1

ms mums PE1ER9 cm, Moro-mum, wAsumman, u. c.

UNITE STATES ATENT OFFICE.-

JAMES F. MOELROY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

VESTIBU LE FOR CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 474,966, dated May 17,1892.

Application filed December 9, 1891. Serial No. 414,505. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES F. MOELROY, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city and county of Albany, State of New York, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Vestibules for Railway-Cars, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the construction of vestibuleslocated between the cars of a railway-train; and the object of myinvention is to provide a vestibule for railway-cars so arranged thatwhen one car is coupled to another the face-plates of the adjacent endsof the cars will intermesh, form ing a covered passage-way between theadjoining cars in such a manner that the faceplates are prevented fromsidewise motion, which motion is taken up between the cars instead ofbetween the face-plates of the two cars. I attain this object by meansof the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a side elevation of the end of a car .withportions cut awayfor the purpose of showing the operation of my mechanism. Fig. 2 is anend elevation of a car provided with my invention. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal section along the lines I I on Fig. 2, showing thesectionthrough two. cars, however, the face-plates being broughttogether. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section similar to Fig.3, with theexception that the face-plates and cars are separated. Fig. 5 is a planof the operating mechanism placed at the upper end of the face-plate.Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the operating mechanism of my vestibuleplaced at the upper portion of the face-plate, and Fig. 7 is a verticalsection along the lines 2 2 on Fig. 2.

Similarletters refer to similar parts through.

out theseveral views.

Usually the face-plate ofa vestibule connected to a railway-car isprovided with a flat smooth surface which comes into contact with thecorresponding flat smooth surface of the face-plate on the end of theadjoining car. These plates are forced tightly together by means ofpowerful springs and there is no provision made for taking up the motionbetween the cars occasioned by the passage of the train around a curve,except a movement of the face-plates against each other, which movementis retarded by the friction ocplates.

casioned by the severe pressure of the one plate against the other andis accompanied by extremely disagreeable grinding noises, also byconstant wearingof the surfaces of the face- There is danger of personsbeing injured when passing between the cars through the vestibule at thetime of the passage of a train about a sharp curve.

The cars are subjected to a severe torsional strain by reason of thisconstruction of the vestibule, and after the train has passed the curveand is upon a smooth straight track the face-plates are often for aconsiderable time held in the same position that they occupied duringthe passage of the train around the curve entirely out of alignment,still subjecting the car to severe torsional strain until some suddenjolt brings the face-plates again in their normal position, or a curvein an opposite direction forces them back, or they gradually work backby the constant motion of the car. By my invention these objectionablefeatures of the vestibule are obviated. My connecting-plates are notfriction-plates in any sense. On the contrary, they are arranged tointermesh, making it impossible for them to move sidewise upon eachother. The plates are held firmly and rigidly together.

In order to provide for the necessary sidewise motion of the cars inrounding curves, I place my face-plates between the cars and arrangesprings, suitably connected. and supported, in such a manner that thismotion is taken up between the cars against the tension of the springs,so that in rounding curves the tendency of my vestibule is to hold thecars in proper alignment, and should a side strain act to throw it outof alignment such motion will take place against the tension of thesprings, and these springs will restore the car to its properalignment-the moment the side strain is removed.

I will now proceed to describe my vestibule and the means by which Iaccomplish the objects herein set forth, it being understood that inorder to complete the vestibule it is necessary that two cars, eachprovided with my invention, should be coupled together, and that thedescription which I shall .proceed to give applies to each car.

To the end of a car I attach the usual vestibule-covering A in themanner and by the means usually employed and constructed of thematerialcommonly used for that purpose. The face-plates b I) extendbeyond the platform, thus are located between the cars, and are securedto the canopy material of the vesbule in any suitable manner. Oneportion 19 of the face-plate, which is 011 one side of the end of thevestibule and extends over the top, is provided with a convex surface ortongue. The other half I) is provided with a concave surfaceor groove(see Figs. 2 and 4) in such a manner that when two cars provided with myinvention join the convex surfaces of the face-plates on each side ofthe car will fit into thecorrespondingconcavcsurfaces. (SeeFig. 3.)Those portions of the face-plates extending below the platforms of thecars do not come into contact and are usually provided with flatsurfaces L.

To the lower portion L of the face-plate beneath the platform I attach ablock 0, in which is formed a bearing for the rounded head of theplunger 0, making a ball-andsocket joint for the articulation of theplunger O. The plunger 0 is provided about midway between its ends witha collar 0' and with a slot (1, extending through the plunger 0 and fromthe collar a short distance toward its rounded head 0. The plunger 0 iscapable of reciprocatory movement upon the piston D, which is providedat or near one end with a pin d, which extends through the slot d in theplunger 0 and limits the movement of the plunger C upon the piston D bycoming into contact with the collar 0. The piston D is secured at itsend opposite that near which the pin 01 is placed to the disk E. Thedisk E is provided with a bearing e, opening on its side opposite tothat to which the'piston D is attached. The bearing 6 is con structedfor the rounded head of the rod F, making a ball-and-socket joint forthe articulation of the rod F.

About the piston D and the portion of the plunger (3 between the collarand the end of the plunger farthest from the bearing 6 I place aspiralspring G, one end of said spring resting upon the disk E, the other endresting upon the collar 0.

In contact with the side of the disk E toward the rod F,I place theplate H, provided with a suitable opening for the passage of the rod Finto its bearing e, located in the disk E. The plate H is secured to abeam I, attached to the car beneath the platform, and which beam isprovided with an opening, through which the rod F passes. The rod F isprovided near its end with a cap J, held securely in position by meansof the nutj upon the end of the rod F, which end is suitably threaded.In contact with the plate II and the cap J, I place about the rod F aspiral spring K, the opening through the beam I being large enough toadmit of the passage of the spring K, as well as the rod F, the functionof the spring K being to hold the disk E in contact with the plate H.The spring G forces the faceplates into contact with each other.

It is understood that the face-plate on each side of the car at the topand at the bottom is provided with the mechanism already described. Fig.1 shows in dotted lines the construction of the plunger, piston, disk,plate, and springs in contact with the face-plate and proper supportattached to the car, similar in every respect to that already described.It is understood that the other side of the car is provided with similarmechanism.

To the face-plate L, on or about upon a level with the platform of thecar, I secure by hinges Z a movable plate M, which falls upon theplatform of the cars and serves as abridge between the cars and which isshown in sectional detail in Fig. 7. The movable plates M are providedwith ends properly beveled to allow for the sidewise movement of thecars when rounding curves, at which time the plates M will move on theplatform between the sides of the vestibule.

The leather, cloth, or other material used for a canopy is preferablyfolded in layers having rounded edges extending from side to side, oneover the other, in order that the movement of the cars about a curve,which will cause the folds of the canopy on one side to be separated andon the other side to be contracted, shall nottear or in any other wayinjure the material of which it is composed.

The operation of my mechanism is extremely simple. It is to beunderstood that the face-plates are to act in no wise as a butferbetween the cars and it is also tobe borne in mind that there is a spacebetween the face-plate and the rear end of the platform of the car. Whena train provided with my vestibule moves around a curve, the face-plateson one side of the train will be forced together, the plungers O on thatside of thetrain will act against the springs G, contractingsaidsprings, the ball-and-socket joints on the ends of the plungers O andthe rods F allowing for the movement of the plunger and the rod in theirrespective bearings. On the opposite side of the car the face-platesacting upon the plungers tend to forcethe plungers away from the piston,and thus the disk E from itsnormal position against the plate H,contracting the spring K about the rod F, and when the train reaches astraight track these springs resume their normal position, the mechanismon each side of the train assisting to bring about that result.

I do not limit myself to theexact construc tion of my face-plates. Anyarrangement which will prevent lateral movement in connection with eachother when the train is rounding a curve will answer the purpose.

I do not limit, myself to the exact arrangement of my device for takingup the sidewise motion of the train between the cars; but

What I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. In a railway-car vestibule composed of two like halves or portions,each part located at the end of a car, the combination of the body of acar, a flexible vestibule-covering attached thereto, intermeshingface-plates attached to, said vestibule-covering at the end thereof, aplunger connected with ball-andsocket joint at top and bottom of eachfaceplate on each side of the car, said plunger reciprocating upon apiston, a spring operating said plunger placed about said piston, a diskat the end of said piston, and a bearing in said disk forthe head of arod, forming a ball-andsocket joint with the rod, said disk held by aspring placed on the rod in connection with a supporting-beam attachedto the body of the car, substantially as described, and for the purposeset forth.

2. In a railway-car vestibule composed of two like halves or portions,each part located at the end of a car, the combination of the body of acar, a flexible vestibule-covering attached thereto, intermeshingface-plates attached to said vestibule-covering at the end thereof, aplunger connected with ball-andsocket joint at top and bottom of eachfaceplate on each side of the car, said plunger reciprocating uponapiston, a spring operating said plunger placed about said piston, adisk at the end of said piston, a bearing in said disk for the head of arod, forming aball-and socket joint with the rod, said disk held byaspring placed on the rod in connection with a supporting-beam attachedto the'body of the car, with a movable plate hinged to the faceplatenearly on alevel with the'platform, forming a bridge between the cars,substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a railway-car vestibule composed of two-like halves or portions,each part located at the end of a car, the combination of the body of acar, a flexible vestibule-covering attached thereto, intermeshingface-plates attached to said vestibule-covering at the end thereof, aplunger, and a ball-and-socket joint connecting said plunger with eachof the faceplates top and bottom, said plunger operated by a spring andsupported to the body of the car, substantially as described, and forthe purpose set forth.

4. In a railway-car vestibule composed of two like halves or portions,each part located at the end of a car, the combination of the body of acar, aflexible vestibule-covering attached thereto, intermeshingface-plates attached to said vesibule-covering at the end thereof, aplunger in contact with the top and bottom of each face-plate, saidplunger reciprocating upon a piston, and a spring operating said plungerplaced about said piston, substantially as described, and for thepurpose set forth.

JAMES F. IVIOELROY.

Witnesses:

EDWIN A. SMITH, H. J. NoDINE.

